


Haunted Homes

by TheDeviantSentByJericho



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: AND YOU KNOW WHAT, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Needs a Hug, But more than 30 to write, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Needs a Hug, Don't be fooled by the tags it's pretty much all, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone Needs A Hug, F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Ghosts, Haunted Houses, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, It takes less than a minute to read them, Like, Logic | Logan Sanders Needs a Hug, M/M, Morality | Patton Sanders is a Sweetheart, Nico Flores Is Non-Binary, Non-Binary Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Other, Past Suicide, Pintroverts, Really Short Chapters, Short Chapters, Sympathetic Sides (Sanders Sides), They/them and He/Him pronouns for Nico Flores, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Trans Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Trans Male Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Transphobia, and, at best, because I say so, heavy on the comfort, honestly, hopefully anyway, i guess, in the past, it uses he/him or it/its, they get them, they're all ghosts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:49:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28051197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDeviantSentByJericho/pseuds/TheDeviantSentByJericho
Summary: Nico and Thomas move into a haunted house.
Relationships: Nico Flores/Thomas Sanders
Comments: 33
Kudos: 110





	1. Welcome Home

It was Thomas' idea.

That being said, Nico had hardly argued. In fact, he quite agreed; The house was large, old, and cheap, and had been kept in extraordinarily good condition by the owners, despite them refusing to live there. It was hard enough to sell a 'haunted' house without it being in total disrepair. It also came with furniture, allegedly because of a desire to appease the ghosts. 

Nico Flores-Sanders did not believe in ghosts. 

Thomas Flores-Sanders did.

But he wasn't scared of them. Far from it. Hearing about the ghosts had honestly sealed the deal for him- he really hoped that at least _one_ of the reported ghosts (there were stories of at least seven) actually existed, and better yet, would want to be friends! It must be lonely, being dead, especially when no one in the last fifty years had stayed in the house without, well. Becoming a ghost themselves. 

But Thomas didn't want to think about that.

The first day in the house had been normal, as normal as moving into an old house could be anyway. The previous owners had come with their children and a few grandkids to help them move, and provided a few ingredients (sugar, flour, chocolate chips) and some advice. "One of the ghosts spends a lot of time in the kitchen," the matriarch had said. "He seems to like it when you leave ingredients out for him, but don't move anything without lots of warning." She nodded sagely as Thomas took the bag, almost starry-eyed. Nico tried not to laugh.

"Thank you, ma'am," Thomas said, and Nico echoed him, smiling lightly. "My pleasure dearies. Good luck, and remember there's no shame in wanting out. Everyone else has!" 

The two worked on setting everything up on their own, singing along to disney songs. Occasionally though, they got distracted and ended up dancing together in the box-filled living room (who could blame him? he looked so sweet in the odd, dusty light) and by the time the sun was setting, they still had a lot of boxes to get through. 

Thomas pulled away, laughing, and planted a kiss on Nico's cheek. Nico blushed. They'd been married three years and he still hadn't gotten used to the sheer chaotic _joy_ that was his husband.

"C'mon Neeks, let's leave something out for the ghosts!" 

Nico raised an eyebrow, but he let Thomas tug him into the kitchen. "Mrs Aingeru said the kitchen ghost liked cooking, right? So maybe we should make something for them!" 

Smiling, Nico flicked his partner's nose. "Sounds like a wonderful idea. And I'm sure the ghosts won't mind if we try some ourselves..." Thomas stuck his tongue out playfully. "We should ask first, you know!" 

"Alright, alright. Perhaps we leave them here overnight so the ghosts can have their fill first?"

"Sounds like a plan!"

By the time the cookies were cooling on the rack, the two were exhausted and droopy. It had been a long day, and they barely managed to drag themselves over to the first large bedroom before they collapsed into sleep, limbs entwined.

If they had been more awake, and had ghosts been real, they might have heard a soft "Awww!" from somewhere behind them.

But everyone knows ghosts aren't real.


	2. Nightmares And Daydreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i wrote a lot of this while listening to 'the hearse song' by rusty cage and 'lonely vampire' by weathers, so if that gives you any idea of what happens in this chapter,,,
> 
> i do hope you didn't get too comfortable in the last one :)

Thomas woke with a start.

He wasn't sure what had alerted him. Darkness covered his eyes, and a cool breeze seemed to dance, mockingly, through the room. Every one of Thomas' senses was on high alert, but the only one that brought anything back was touch, the warmth of his husband by his side. Said husband was still asleep, but as Thomas shifted, he snuggled closer, his breath warm.

Thomas wrapped his other arm around him, but he stayed there, staring out into the shadows, desperate to see something, anything, and dreading it all the same.

Just as he was beginning to relax, there was a flash in the darkness. A glimmer of purple light that wavered and danced, so faint he might have been imagining it. Beside Thomas, Nico's breathing picked up. 

The sliver of purple smoke swirled, and a noise seemed to imbed itself directly in Thomas' brain. Cackling? Or maybe screaming.

The ghost- because he was sure by now, this was a ghost- flashed, briefly forming the shape of a person with short, shaggy hair and a torn hoodie, before it flared its arms out and dove forwards, becoming nothing but a flash of light that streaked towards Thomas, slammed into him with a weight like a thousand mistakes, and disappeared.

Thomas bolted upright with a scream.

Suddenly awake, Nico jolted from his own nightmare and moved directly into Comfort Thomas Mode. "Hey, hey, it's okay, you're safe, we're safe, we're safe here," he murmured, all traces of sleep gone. Holding each other tight, Thomas buried his head in his partner's shoulder, trying to fight the shaken tears.

A few minutes later, the two were both a little more settled, and Thomas had told Nico what he'd seen. Nico frowned. He still didn't believe in ghosts, but if the house was going to be bad for Thomas' anxiety, it didn't matter how much money they didn't have, they couldn't afford to stay. Hopefully it was just a 'first night in a new place' problem though.

It didn't seem like either of them would be getting back to sleep any time soon, and, checking his phone, it was already 4:28 in the morning. "Do you want to go downstairs and make up some hot cocoa or something, love?" Nico asked. He was rewarded with a small smile. "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea."

He noticed he didn't mention the 'kitchen ghost'. 

Sitting downstairs, each holding a cup of warmth, it seemed like the terror of their dreams (not dreams) had faded a little. "So, a purple ghost huh?" Nico started. Nodding, Thomas opened his mouth to speak, only to be caught off guard by another voice, one neither of them were expecting. 

"Oh, that scoundrel! I do hope he didn't scare you too bad, it does that for every new guest we have, especially if they stay in _that room_. I do not understand why it is so protective all the time!" 

Both men turned in their seats to be faced with someone in a refined get-up and a crown, body composed of bright red light. Nico froze, eyes wide and disbelieving, and Thomas let out a little yelp.

The ghost frowned and looked himself over. "Am I that hideous to behold? I am _certain_ I dressed properly this evening! Patton helped me with it and everything!" The humans blinked at him. "Oh! Where are my manners! It has been far too long since I encountered a mortal, I must have forgotten them." He bowed dramatically. "I am the mighty Prince Roman! And who might you be?"

Thomas recovered first, extending a hand. "My name is Thomas! He/him pronouns. It's nice to meet you, Prince Roman!" 

Roman's hand passed through the human's, but they pretended the handshake worked. "Ah! What a wonder, I too use he/him pronouns! And this fair person?"

Nico was still processing, so Thomas spoke for him. "This is my partner, Nico. Also he/him, or they/them." Dizzily, Nico nodded. Roman's grin brightened- literally. 

"Welcome, living ones! Oooh, it's been so long!" Red light blurred slightly at the edges as Roman flipped over himself and hovered in the air, arms waving dramatically. "You must tell us all about the living world! Oh, and I can't wait to introduce you to Logan and Patton! And what were those songs you were singing earlier, it was truly _enchanting_?"

"Disney," Nico mumbled, seeming to come slightly back into reality at the mention. "The corporation sucks but the studios are okay and the music is great." he recited.

"I understood a third of that!" Roman said cheerfully. "Please, tell me more!"

"Okay,"


	3. the astronomer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> logan's turn ✨

As the sky lightened, Roman's form seemed to fade, blurring, becoming more and more indistinguishable. They said goodbye in the morning light, and Nico and Thomas decided that going back to sleep would be a bad idea, especially in the same room. 

They hadn't fully explored the large house yet, but they knew there were other bedrooms, if ones a bit further away. Maybe one of them would be less likely to draw the purple spirit's ire?

Nico suggested that they look up the history of the house, since it was implied that the ghost was particularily against the idea of people staying in that one particular room. The problem was, well, it was rather difficult to distinguish fact from fiction, especially when they were dealing with the realm of folklore as they were, and especially as most of the information they needed was old, older than the internet in cases.

Apparently the land the house stood on was once part of a small kingdom, and the house itself had been owned by the royal family (though not used often- apparently, the myths of the ghosts were around even then) until the princess/prince/heir apparent (it was unclear- some sources said they were transmasc, others just said princess or even attempted to disprove the others' claims), their twin brother, and their servant/caretaker/friend (also very unclear) were killed in a raid on the house. Some sources put the motivation to revenge, others to burgalry, others to transphobia. One or two even suggested one twin, usually the younger one, had murdered the servant and attempted to attack his twin, and they both killed each other. 

Upon reading about the princes, Thomas and Nico had shared a glance. Roman _had_ introduced himself as "the mighty Prince Roman", and the names of both royals had been almost entirely lost- they knew one of them started with an R, but which one was unknown. They resolved to ask about it next time they saw him, though not without some concerns.

No matter what had happened, the kingdom had falled shortly after that, and the house had been passed around throughout the generations. No one dared live in it now, but it was so historically important, no one wanted to bulldoze it, and it was too far out from town to be a good museum. 

There was nothing about any specific rooms, especially not a bedroom. 

During the day, the house seemed perfectly normal, if a bit antiquitated. It even had something of a lived-in feel to it, which was odd, considering no one living had stayed there full time in known history, if ever.

Setting aside their laptops around lunchtime, the two decided to finally get around to exploring the house. 

Upstairs, all the interesting rooms were hidden.

The first one they entered was a peculiar space. It was almost entirely dark, but using their phones as flashlights and opening the curtains, they could see all sorts of strange objects. Behind the heavy drapes, the window was covered only by a kind of sliding screen, behind which the view was primarily of the sky.

Nico was fascinated by the charts and maps, all incredibly detailed, if delicate and yellowed, and the old instruments that were placed carefully around the room. Thomas' eye caught on all the paintings and models that lay on every surface and crossed the walls, showing surprisingly accurate depictions of the cosmos. 

The door slammed shut behind them just as a cloud passed over the sun, the room plunging into half-darkness for a moment. There was a whisper, a strange sound that they couldn't place but sounded vaugly like a shout. 

The couple stumbled into each other, grabbing hands subconciously. "Is- is someone there?" Nico asked, phone light darting around the room.

The noise came again, but this time clearer, if faded. "lights," was all they could understand. 

"You want us to turn the lights off?" Thomas asked. 

A hum.

Moving nervously, they tugged the curtains back over the window, and turned their phone lights off, plunging the room into total darkness.

Well, _near_ total darkness.

A dark blue light glimmered, forming into the shape of a person. They looked far more modern than Roman had, in university formal attire and square-framed glasses. Their expression was unreadable.

The ghost wasn't even the most interesting thing that had changed when the lights went out either.

Pinpoints of glimmering light were all across the walls and ceiling, a starry sky of a billion lights, such as neither Thomas nor Nico had ever seen before. They alone were almost enough to see by. 

"Wow," Thomas said.

"Indeed," said the ghost, drawing their attention back.

"My name is Logan Berry. He/him pronouns. It's nice to meet a living person at last." He didn't bother extending a hand.

Thomas was incredibly excited to meet a new ghost, introducing them both despite claims that "I already know who you two are," but for Nico, something seemed off.

Logan Berry?

The name seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it for a long moment.

It wasn't until Logan mentioned how his extreme affection for the room they were currently in- he called it the starroom- had extended into his life as well that it finally clicked.

Logan Berry had been an astronomy student at Nico's college before he'd ever attended, but he'd still heard of him. After all, who could forget the star student (no pun intended), set to bring glory to the entire school, maybe the entire country? 

Who could forget the role model who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving his entire family dead behind him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as far as i'm aware, starrooms aren't and weren't actually a thing, but you know what? it's my fantasy dead kingdom, it can have what i want XD


	4. fears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't write romance i'm aroace why did i agree to this

As soon as they'd left the room, Thomas chittering happily, Nico grabbed him and pulled him aside into an empty room. It was dark, but when Thomas, startled, attempted to reach for the lights (the house had been fully renovated pretty recently, apparently in preparation for a very wealthy previous buyer who had fled after the first night), Nico smacked it down. "I want to see him coming!" he hissed quietly, yanking his husband deeper into the room.

"What's wrong, Neeks?" Thomas asked, his warm brown eyes glinting in the few streaks of light. Nico's cheeks were warm, and he had to consciously tug himself away from being swept up in his husband's sheer _attractiveness_. 

"Thomas, I know him! Well, **of** him. He's _Logan Berry_!"

Thomas blinked. "Yes? He told us that?"

Nico sighed, drawing his hands through his hair roughly. Reaching out, Thomas lightly grabbed their wrists before they could pull any of their hair out. "Hey, I'm sorry, what is it? Is he dangerous?"

Shrugging, Nico leaned into their partner. "Potentially, yeah. He used to go to my university, and he's kinda become something of a legend. Star student but always willing to help people out, everyone loved him. Until his entire family was found dead, with his body nowhere to be seen. There's no proof, but pretty much everyone thinks he killed them."

Thomas frowned. "Oh... Well, we can't just leave! Do you have any ideas? For what we should do next?"

Perching on the floor (they didn't trust the dusty couches), Nico thought for a second. That was one of the things they appreciated about Thomas. No matter what observation Nico had made, no matter how stupid or unpleasant, Thomas would always make an effort to listen, to figure out a plan together. "We don't know for sure what happened, or what powers ghosts have. Maybe we can ask the others? The other spirits? Roman seemed nice, I'm sure he'd be willing to help."

Thomas smiled, a little tension dropping from his posture. "Yeah! Logan seemed really friendly too, if a bit closed off. I hope he's a friend..."

Taking his hand, Nico smiled back. "Even if he's not, I'm sure you'll make him into one."

They sat there in the darkness together for a while, safe in each other's company.

"Oh moon, you guys are still here?" A glimmer of purple light formed into a human figure peered through the door. "Wow. Disgusting. Why don't you go smooch in the kitchen or something instead of sitting in the dark like losers?" 

Thomas had to tug Nico down from attacking him. "Hey Purp!" he called faux cheerfully.

Scoffing, the ghost smirked. "Sup, coward. Get out. Of the house, preferably, but the room is also good."

Nico pulled themself and Thomas upright, waiting. "Sure thing, asshole. We've got some hot chocolate and music and we're going to go have fun with your fellow ghosties and _you're not invited!_ "

Some emotion Thomas couldn't read flashed across the ghost's face, (Guilt? Hurt? Sorrow? Loneliness?) but he covered it with a scoff, and the door closed with a thud in between them.


	5. affection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe patton hasn't been properly introduced yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw food

When they arrived, the kitchen was already in use.

Light blue light arranged itself all around the room in the shapes of pots and jars and steaming liquid, and both men were temporarily taken aback. The figure of a man in an apron and simple-but-fine clothes turned to look at them, curls bouncing slighting as they moved. They waved a hand cheerfully. "Heya kiddos! Have fun together?"

Nico blushed brightly and Thomas grinned. "Just a bit. What's your name again?" 

"Oh, I'm Patton! He/him. Don't worry about introducing yourselves, Roman's already told me a lot about you." His face was the embodiment of the smiley emoticon. "Take a seat, if you like! Or feel free to use the kitchen; I'd make you something, but well..." He trailed off, gesturing helplessly to the blue.

"I'm guessing we couldn't touch it?" asked Nico with a raised eyebrow. "That, and the magic," Patton agreed.

"Magic?"

"Yeah! Well, not sure what else to call it. Mortals _can_ eat ghost food, if you reeeaaaalllyyyy try, but it kinda? Bonds us? In a way? Logan's better at explaining it than I am," Patton said with a cheery smile, which dropped once he noticed the others' expressions change. "What's wrong?"

Thomas sighed. "Nico said he knew Logan? From school?" He looked at his husband, who shrugged. "Knew of him, but yeah. We..." He looked directly at Patton, but couldn't find the words to express his question. But it turned out he didn't need to.

"It's about his parents, isn't it? You're worried he's a threat?" Patton's face was sad but understanding. Both men nodded. 

"Well, I can't tell Logan's story for him. But I _can_ say there's nothing to worry about! Lo-lo doesn't like to admit it, but he's really a sweetheart, promise. He apologizes for walking through us! He'd never hurt you. No need to worry about that."

"Ah, that helps. Thank you, Patton." Nico said, some of his anxiety slipping away, though he still resolved to find out what happened. Patton smiled. "Anytime, kiddo! Now, did you want something?"


End file.
